Automatic gun.



No. 702,240. Patented )une` I0, |902.

A. NOBLE. v

AUTDMATIG GUN.

(Application Bled Jan. 81, 1902.) v (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet L No. 702,240. Patented lune I0, |902.

A. NOBLE.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

(Application flied Jan. 81, 1902.)

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2 SheeisfSheet 2.

(lla Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW NOBLE, OF NEWCAS'I'LE-UPON-TYNE, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO W. G.

ARMSTRONG, .WHITWORTH dz: COMPANY, LIMITED, OF NEWCASTLE-UPON- TYNE, ENGLAND. Y I

AuToMATlc GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming* part f Letters :Patent N 0. 702,240, dated June 10, 1902.

Application filed January 31, 19042. Serial No. 92,035. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ wwm/ 15 Wwywwrm until it is withdrawn by a lever pivoted in the l Be it knownthat I, ANDREW NOBLE, K. C. breech-block and so arranged that when a B., F. R. S., a subject of the King of Great cartridge is injected into the chamber ofthe Britain, residing at Elswick Works, Newcasgun the rim of the case presses against one tle-upon-Tyne, England, have invented a cerend of the lever, thus freeing the breech- 55 tain new and useful Automatic Gun, of which block, which immediately rises and closes the the following is a specification. breech.

This invention relates to an improved Figures l and 2 of the drawings are right method of feeding cartridges from a hopper and left side elevations of the rear of a gun ro above the gun to aposition behind the openwithits training-arm and hopper. Figs. 3 6o ing in the breech and of injecting 4the carand 4; are sections on the lines 3 3 and 4 4, Fig. tridge into its chamber and also to a method 2. A Figs, 5 and 6 show the injector and eX- of operating the breech. tractor, and Fig. 7 is a local section of part of Anumber of cartridges are carried in a fixed the breech-block.

I5 hopper supported by the` training-,arm and aisthegun; a,thetrainingarm withshoul- 65 having hinged to it two pairs of arms, one der-piece@2 and having formed on it pins ai" to pair for lowering a cartridge from the hopper receive sockets a4 on the arms a5, carrying V to the axis of the bore ofthe gun and the the hopperrb. Turning in bearings b' on the other for preventing the remaining cartridges hopper is a spindle b2, fast with which are zo from dropping. The arms are actuated by a two. pairs of arms c c and c c' and also an arm 7e projection fast with them running in a suitcarrying a bowl c2, Working in a groove cS in ably-shaped groove in an arm on the breech an arm c4 on the gun. The training-arm of the gun.l As the cartridge is lowered its and shoulder-piece fixed to it by an interrear end is received by a bearer on an arm on rupted screw-thread are bored out to receive the injector, while its front end rests on a a spring d, the forward end of which enters 75 bearer attached to the rear `face of the gun. a recess c in the injector c, whose form is The injector, which is carried by the trainclearly shown in Fig. 5 and which is situated ing-arm, is actuated by a spring, but is repartlyinside and partly outside the trainingtained by a catch untilreleased at the proper arm. The partoutside consists of an arm e2,

3o' moment by a sloping face formed on the adapted to receive the base of acartridge and 8o breech of the gun. The breech-block, which to inject it into vthe gun, and aleg e3, abutting has a vertical sliding wedge, action, is actu-l againstthebreech of the gun, while inside ated by a crank in the usual mannerl The the training-arm is a leg e4. crank-shaft is turned bya lever connected byV d is a spring-catch in the training-arm,

a detachable link toia rod moving in aspring which as soon as the leg e4 has passed it on 85 box or cylinder attached to the cradle or the recoil of the gun moves forward in front mounting. When the gun recoils, it carries of the leg c4, so that its point enters a groove with it the rod and compresses the spring, d2 on the gun, and the injector is thus re and the rod is held bya shoulder upon itentained in'its vrearward position until as the 4o gaging with a spring-catch, so that when the gun moves out again the catch is pushed 9o gun is returning to firing position the crank back by the incline d3 at the rear of the groove is revolved and the breech opened. At the cl2, when the injector is shot forward by the proper moment an arm on the gun passes over spring d, the leg c4 passing through a recess the end of a lever, which withdraws the catch. "in the catch.

This frees the rod and brings the force conj' is a shoe on the breech of the gun to re- 95 tained in `the compressed spring to bear on ceive the nose of the projectile of acartridge. the crank to raise the breech-block and close .g is the breech-block, having in it a camthe breech. A retaining-bolt, however, which groove g', in which moves a bowl g2on acrankdrops into a recess in the gun when the block arm g3 on the shaft h, carried by the gun, and

5o moves down, prevents the block from rising having fast with it an arm h', connected by I oo a pin h2 to a link 7a3, whose farther end is connected to a rod h4, moving in a cylinder 71.5 on the cradle or mounting and compressing a spring 7L in the cylinder. On the rod is a shoulder 71,7, engaging with a spring-catch 7x8, carried by a lever 7f3, pivoted to the carriage and rocked by an arm 7L-10 on the gun. On the breech-block is a spring retaining-bolt t', which engages with a recess l in the gun as the block drops and holds the block down nntil the rim of an injected cartridge strikes the end of the lever t2.

The cartridge-extractorj is pivoted to the top of the block g and is provided with a spring j' to insure its returning to its proper place. As the block descends arms jg, fast with the extractor, come in contact with trippers j, pivoted tothe grin, which turn the extractor to throw ont the cartridge -case. The trippers js are fitted with springs, so that they can turn np ont of the way as the block llSeS.

7s is a hand-lever on the shaft 72, by which the breech-block can be operated, if desired, after removal of the pin 712, and 7 a controlcylinder for controlling the recoil and running out the gun, as is usual.

The action is as follows: As the gun recoils, first, the injector is pushed back, (owing to the breech pressing against the leg 68,) compressing its spring d until the retaining-catch (7 slips in front of the end of the leg el; second, the spindle b2 is turned by the action of the groove c, so as to turn the arms c and c to the position shown in dots in Fig. 4, with the result that the cartridges in the hopper descend a short distance; third, the spring 7i is compressed, and the catch he engages with the shoulder 72.7. As the gun runs out, rst, the breech-block descends, owing to the turning of the shaft 7i; second, the extractor is operated and throws ont the empty case; third, the bolt i enters the recess t" to hold the breech-block down; fourth, the arm hw, acting on the lever hg, raises the catch hs, and the rod h4 moves forward enough to clear the catch, when it it again drops, but is prevented from further movement by the bolt t' reaching the top of the recess t; fth, the spindle b2 is turned so that the arms c' enter the hopper above the bottom cartridge to hold up those above while the arms c lower it to the line of the bore; sixth, the incline d3 releases the catch 07', and the spring dthrows forward the injector, which injects the cartridgeinto the gun; seventh, the rim o f the cartridge strikes the lever t2, which withdraws the bolt 'L' and allows the spring 7L to turn the shaft 7L and raise the breech, when the action is complete.

What I claim is l. In an automatic gun the combination of a cartridge-hopper, a spindle at the lower part thereof, alowering-arm and a retainingarm both fast on the spindle and means for giving a partial rotation to the spindle first in one direction and then in the other.

2. The combination of a gun-mounting a gun sliding therein, a cartridge-hopper carried by the mounting, a spindle at the lower part of the hopper, a lowering-arm and a retaining-arm both on the spindle, means for giving a partial rotation to the spindle first in one direction and then in the other, and means carried by the mounting for injecting a cart-ridge into the gun. i

3. The combination of a gun-mounting, a gun sliding therein, means for running out the gun after recoil, a transversely-sliding breech-block in the gun, a cartridge-hopper carried by the mounting, a spindle at the lower part of the hopper, a lowering-arm and a retaining-arm both on the spindle, means for giving a partial rotation to the spindle as the gun recoils to allow a cartridge in the hopper to drop onto the lowering-arm means foropening the breech and ejecting the empty cartridge-case while the gun runs out, means for subsequently turning the spindle back again to bring the cartridge on the loweringarm in line with the bore of the gun and means for injecting this cartridge into the gun. y

4E. The combination of a gun-mounting, a gun sliding therein, a cartridge-hopper carried by the mounting, a spindle at the lower part of the hopper, a lowering-arm and a retaining-arm both on the spindle, a groove on the gun and an arm on the spindle engaging the groove.

5. The combination of a grin-mounting, a gun sliding therein, means for running out the gun after recoil, a transversely-sliding breech-block in the gun, a cartridge-hopper carried by the mounting, a spindle at the lower part of the hopper, a lowering-arm and a retaining-arm both on the spindle, means for giving a partial rotation to the spindle first in one direction then in the other, a transverse shaft on the gun, an arm on the shaft, a spring carried by the mounting, a rod compressing the spring during recoil, a link connecting the rod with the arm on the shaft, a catch retaining the rod in its rearward position, a crank on the shaft operating the breech-block and an arm on the gun releasing the catch to free the arm and allow the spring to close the breech.

6. The combination of a gun-mounting, a gun sliding therein, means for running out the gun after recoil, a transversely-sliding breech-block in the gun, a bolt on the block engaging a recess in the breech for holding the block down, a lever engaging the bolt and adapted to be operated by an injected cartridge, a cartridge -hopper carried by the mounting, a spindle at the lower part of the hopp'er, a lowering-arm and a retaining-arm both on the spindle, means for giving a partial rotation to the spindle rst in one direction and then in the other, a transverse shaft on the gun, an arm on the shaft, a spring carried by the mounting, a rod compressing the spring during recoil, a link connecting the IOC IIO

p carried by the mounting, a spindle at the lower part of the hopper, a lowering-arm and a retaining-arm both on the spindle, means for giving a partial rotation to the spindle rst in one direction and then in the other, a transverse shaft on the gun, an arm on the shaft, a spring carried by the mounting, a rod compressing'the springduring recoil, a link connected to the arm on the shaft, a remov-v able pin connecting the rod and'link,a catch retaining the rod in its rearward position, al crank on the shaft operating the breech-block and an arm on the gun releasing the catch to free the arm and allow the spring to close the breech.

8. The combination of a gun-mounting, a gun sliding therein, a cartridge-hopper carried by the mounting, a spindle atvthe lower part of the hopper, 'a lowering-arm and a retaining-arm both on the spindle, a groove on thegun, anarm on the spindle engaging the groove, means for running out the gun after recoil, a transversely-sliding breech-block in the gun, a transverse shaft on the gun, an

arm on the shaft, a spring carried by the mounting, a rod compressing the spring dur- 'ing recoil, a link connecting the'rod with the arm on the shaft, a catch retaining the rod in its rearward position, a crank on the shaft operating the breech-block-and an arm on the gun releasing the`ca'tch to free the arm and allow the spring to close the breech.

9. The combination of a gun-mounting, a gun sliding therein, a cartridge-hopper carried by the mounting,a spindle at the lower part of the hopper, a lowering-arm anda retaining-arm both on the spindle, a groove in the gun, an arm on the spindle'engaging the groove, means for running out the gun after recoil, a transversely-sliding breech-block in the gun, a bolt on the block engaging a recess in the breech for holding the block down, a lever engaging the bolt and adapted to be operated by an injected cartridge, a transverse shaft on the gun, an arm on the shaft, a spring carried by the mounting, a rod compressing the spring during recoil, a link connecting the rod with the arm on the shaft,'a catch retaining the rod in its rearward position, a

crank on the shaft operating the breech-block andan arm on the gun releasing the catch to free the arm and allow the spring to close the breech.

ANDREW NOBLE.

Witnesses:

.T. PURvIs,

L. W. WooDs. 

